For the first time in the common draft era, the Atlanta Falcons took a Georgia Bulldog in the first round, selecting linebacker Jalon Walker.

Walker was the dream pick for many Falcons fans, not just those who also cheer for the Bulldogs. Kirby Smart‘s resumé speaks for itself when it comes to developing defensive players. Georgia defenders are littered across the best defenses in the NFL, and now the Falcons have one of their own, even if it comes as a bit of a surprise.

Most did not expect Jalon Walker to fall right into the Falcons’ lap with the 15th pick. Many thought he was a slam dunk to go inside the top 10, with most mocking him to NFC South rivals in the Panthers and Saints. However, it appears some teams were wary of his size, which is the only knock on Walker as a prospect.

Walker stands 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, certainly undersized compared to prototypical pass rushers at the NFL level. He’s a bit of a tweener that did a little bit of everything at the University of Georgia, reminiscent of one of the league’s most dominant forces in the league today, Micah Parsons, who played a similar role at Penn State.

In his first media appearance since being named a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Jalon Walker brought up the Dallas Cowboys star, saying Micah Parsons is like a big brother to him that he has learned a lot from.

Walker says Micah Parsons is like a big brother to him. "I learned well from his style of play. #Falcons

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) April 25, 2025

Jalon Walker could go on to have success in a number of roles for the Falcons. There’s no telling what the future holds, and expecting him to blossom into Micah Parsons right away, who will soon become the highest-paid defender in the NFL,  would be foolish.

But make no mistake about it, the Falcons selected Jalon Walker in hopes he can become the pass rusher the Atlanta defense has been missing since John Abraham was terrorizing quarterbacks inside the Georgia Dome, and he knows that.

Jalon Walker: "If you tell me to go get the quarterback, I’m going to go get him. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the end of the line, it doesn't matter if I’m off the ball, it doesn’t matter where I line up, if you tell me to go get him, I’m going to go get him."

— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) April 25, 2025

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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire